CES Community Energy Solutions
MSc scholarships in Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering
Last updated: July 14, 2025, 11:42 a.m.
Supervisory details
Supervisor: Ursula Eicker
Department: Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Start date: Flexible (Fall 2025 preferred)
MSc scholarship: 22K CAD per year for 2 years
Project overview
The CES project focuses on helping municipalities design zero-emission energy solutions that are financially viable, community- driven, and tailored to neighbourhood demand profiles. Collaborating with governments, private sector partners, and international stakeholders, we will analyze over 15 case studies across Canada, the US, and Europe to create "neighbourhood archetypes" based on factors like density, income, building usage, and transportation needs. Using cutting-edge digital twin platforms and tools, we aim to develop scalable community energy strategies that address the unique characteristics of each area.
Role description
MSc 1 – Building energy modelling and data analysis (data integration & ontology)
Collaborate with municipalities, universities, and international partners to create strategic roadmaps and recommend performance improvements for both new and existing energy communities.
Background: Building energy modelling, data analysis.
- Collect, clean, and transform both static (e.g., building and infrastructure data) and dynamic (e.g., energy generation, consumption, transportation) datasets across 15 sustainable community case studies.
- Apply expertise in building energy modelling and data analysis to structure high-quality datasets that support accurate performance evaluation and system planning.
- Develop and implement data pipelines and methodologies to prepare community-specific information for integration into digital twin models.
- Populate and refine a shared ontology framework to ensure consistent data representation and interoperability across use cases.
- Engage with stakeholders and project teams to validate data accuracy, fill gaps, and support collaboration between technical and domain experts.
MSc 2 – Energy Systems/Energy Management and data analysis
Background: Energy systems/energy management, data analysis.
- Compare and evaluate community energy system designs by conducting technical and economic analyses across multiple case studies.
- Assess and categorize energy management systems and control strategies specific to urban residential and commercial environments.
- Analyze energy demand and supply patterns to support the development of standardized system archetypes for neighbourhood-scale solutions.
- Urban energy systems
- 3D City modeling
- Urban data and simulation platform development
- Renewable energies
- Zero Carbon Cities
- Demand response and flexibility
- District and solar heating and cooling networks
- Sustainable transport
- Bachelor’s degree in high standing in Engineering, Data Science, Urban Planning, Sustainability, or related field.
- Proven experience with energy systems modelling, digital twins, or urban infrastructure analysis.
- Strong proficiency in programming (e.g., Python, R), GIS tools, and data visualization platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or custom dashboards).
- Experience with semantic data frameworks or ontology development is a strong asset.
- Familiarity with life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost-benefit analysis in energy contexts.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work in interdisciplinary, multicultural teams.
- Previous experience with community energy projects or urban sustainability initiatives is an advantage.
Please combine the following documents into a single PDF file.
- Letter of intent strongly aligned with the project and the research domain of the professor
- Academic CV
- Transcripts
- References
- Publications, if any
- Any other documents that might benefit your file
Please indicate if applying for more than one position in your cover letter and email. Applications must be in screen-readable PDF or Word formats.
If you are already in Canada, or if you’re a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, please highlight this in your communications.
Send your PDF file to nextgencities@concordia.ca with the subject as:
CES – WP5 – M1_Your Name or
CES – WP5 – M2_Your Name
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Questions/contact
For all questions, please contact Meagan Smith at meagan.smith@concordia.ca.
